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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 May 22;109(1):105-114.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0711. Print 2023 Jul 5.

Prevalence of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Sierra Leone, 1997-2022: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

George A Yendewa  1   2   3 , Gi-Ming Wang  4 , Peter B James  5 , Samuel P E Massaquoi  6 , Sahr A Yendewa  6 , Manal Ghazawi  7 , Lawrence S Babawo  8 , Ponsiano Ocama  9 , James B W Russell  6   10   11 , Gibrilla F Deen  6   10   11 , Foday Sahr  6   9 , Mustapha Kabba  6 , Curtis Tatsuoka  4   12 , Sulaiman Lakoh  6   10   11 , Robert A Salata  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Sierra Leone, 1997-2022: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

George A Yendewa et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in Sierra Leone, yet reliable estimates of cases are lacking. This study aimed to provide an estimate of the national prevalence of chronic HBV infection in the general population and select groups in Sierra Leone. We used the electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online to systematically review articles reporting hepatitis B infection surface antigen seroprevalence estimates in Sierra Leone during 1997-2022. We estimated pooled HBV seroprevalence rates and assessed potential sources of heterogeneity. Of 546 publications screened, 22 studies with a total sample size of 107,186 people were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of chronic HBV infection was 13.0% (95% CI, 10.0-16.0) (I2 = 99%; Pheterogeneity < 0.01). During the study period, the HBV prevalence rates were as follows: 17.9% (95% CI, 6.7-39.8) before 2015, 13.3% (95% CI, 10.4-16.9) during 2015-2019, and 10.7% (95% CI, 7.5-14.9) during 2020-2022. The use of the 2020-2022 HBV prevalence estimates corresponded to 870,000 cases of chronic HBV infection (uncertainty interval, 610,000-1,213,000), or approximately one in nine people. The highest HBV seroprevalence estimates were among adolescents aged 10-17 years (17.0%; 95% CI, 8.8-30.5), Ebola survivors (36.8%; 95% CI, 26.2-48.8), people living with HIV (15.9%; 95% CI, 10.6-23.0), and those in the Northern Province (19.0%; 95% CI, 6.4-44.7) and Southern Province (19.7%; 95% CI, 10.9-32.8) regions. These findings may help inform national HBV program implementation in Sierra Leone.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of a systematic review, Sierra Leone, 1997–2022. AJOL = African Journals Online; HBV = hepatitis B virus.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Forest plot of the pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus in Sierra Leone, 1997–2022.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Map of Sierra Leone with the estimated HBV prevalence by region. HBV = hepatitis B virus.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Funnel plot of the prevalence of hepatitis B virus estimation in Sierra Leone, 1997–2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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